Golf practice device



Nov. 13, 1934. M. G. ROSENGARTEN 1,980,701

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed Dec. 23, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l \HIL Ni INVENTOR:

WITNESSES: l l mg Mz'zcbei/G: Rosengarfezz,

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. ATTORNEYS.

1934- M. G. ROSENGARTEN 1,980,701

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed Dec. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR: Mz'zc elf(1 .lfosezzyaflfen Patented Nov. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PArENroFFicE GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE I Mitchell G. Rosengarten, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application December 23, 1932, Serial N0..648,527

7 Claims. (Cl. 273-35) tice golf shots indoors without danger of injury to the furniture or to the room walls, as well as to practice outdoors on lawns without causing property damage. The form of device here shown has parts stamped or cut from stiif sheet material like cardboard, including a base member with a tongue in simulation of a golf tee adapted to be bent upward, and a disc member for representing or. functionally simulating a golf ball, the latter being edge notched to engage the upstanding tongue of the base member for support upright with freedom for instant flight when struck on edge with a golf club. From the character of the indentation made in the edge of the ball simulating member by the golf club in driving, it is possible to determine, with fairly close accuracy, the correctness of the strike, and the distance that an actual golf ball would be projected by sucha stroke. In other words, the permanent local deformation or mutilation of the golf-ball-disc registers the force and manner of incidence of the stroke, and the relationof the deformed area to the notch in the disc edge (when the disc is notched as mentioned to engage the tee support) indicates where the disc was struck relative to the tee. Adisc completely circular in outline, without excrescent projection, will correspond fairly well to a real golf ball in balance and flight, when it is properly struck; but a pulled stroke (for example) will cause it to deflect sidewise to an exaggerated degree, and it will not travel far. The notch or slot 30 serves to indicate where the disc was seated on the tee device when driven, and (in connection with the deformation of the disc by the club) the relation of the stroke to the tee.

In connection with the base member of the golf practice device, it is a further aim ofmy invention to provide for the support of the ball simulating member selectively at different inclinations to the vertical so that its face may be seen more or less from above by the player; and to afford, through spaced transverse 'creasings or scorings on the tee-tongue of said base member, supports of different heights. Thus the ball simulating member may be sustained at various different elevations above the floor or in direct tangential contact with the floor, for more diversified practice of the shots.

Still other objects and attendant advantages will be manifest from the detailed description following of the attached drawings, wherein. Fig. I is a perspective view showing how my improved golf practice device is tobe used in making 'a shot with an iron club. Y

Fig. IIis a face view of the base member of the device before bending of its tongue. 1

Fig. III is a face view of the ball-disc member. of the device.

Fig. IV shows thebase member with its tongue, bent perpendicularly to the height of a standard golf tee, and with the ball simulating member supported by said tongue.

Fig. V shows the set-up of Fig. IV in front elevation. 1

Figs. VI and VII are perspective views showing the device arranged for placed ball shots.

Figs. VIII and IX show the manner in which the ball simulating member of the device/is. mutilated under different conditions of driving.

Fig. X is a perspective view showing an alter-'1 native form of base or supporting member to enable use of the device outdoors on lawns. I

Fig. XI is a view corresponding to Fig. V showing the set-up with the alternative form of sup porting member shown in Fig. X. j Y i Fig. XII is a view corresponding to Fig. V illustrating another way of using the device; and

Fig. XIII shows the effect on the head of an iron club when used in connection with the setup of Fig. XII. 1

In these several illustrations, thebase member of my improved golf practice device is designated by the numeral 15, and the ball simulating member by the numeral 16.

To produce the base member '15 (Fig. II) I die stamp or otherwise fashion from relatively stiff sheet material like cardboard, a substantially square blank having three straight'sides 17,18 and 19, and a fourth side which is incised as at 20, 21, and slit as at 22, 23, with resultant formation of a round topped tongue leaf 24 having the general configuration of a standard golf tee. For a purpose later on explained, the punched out tee tongue is formed with several radial notches 25 (in this instance three), in the form of substantially uniform narrow slits, and is creased or scored transversely atintervals as indicated at 26, 27 and 28. The tongue or tee portion 24 may be colored red, for example, to contrast with the rest of the area or baseportion 29 of the base member 15, which portion I preferably color green to imitate grass as conventionally indicated. If desired, both faces of the base member 15 may be coloredas above explained so as to make it reversible. l

. and the notch 30 of the ball simulating member is engaged in one of the notches of said tongue.-

The ball simulating disc 16 is likewise made from relatively stiff cardboard and provided with a single notch in its edge; and one or both of itsfaces are printed and colored in imitation of an actual golf ball having a pitted surface, all as illustrated in Fig. III. I

For practice with wooden clubs, the device is set up as shown in Figs. IV and V, that is to say, the tongue 24 of the base member 15 is bent up perpendicularly along the scoring line'26 which extends transversely between the ends of the slits 22, 23 (Fig. II) to form a tee of standard height,

Thus the disc 16 is mounted and held on and in the tee-tongue leaf 24 substantially-in the'driving plane, while the tee-tongue leaf 24 liesin a plane at right angles to the driving plane, and

is freely flexible relative to the base sheet 15in the direction of driving, so as to yield and thus allow the disc 16 to disengage itself more easily when struck. By choice between the notches 25, the ball simulating member 16 may be supported either in the true vertical position as shown in full lines Fig. IV, or in angular positions such as shown in dot-and-dash lines,- so that the face of said-ball simulating member may be seen more or less from above by the player. In all of the tee-tongue notches 25, however, the disc 16 lies substantially in the driving plane.

For practicing of placed ball shots with an iron golf club, the device is set up as shownin'Figs. I and VI, where the tongue 24 of the base member 15 is bent perpendicularly along the transverse score line 27; or it may be set up asshown in Fig. VII where the tongue 24 is bent along the score line 28. In the first arrangement (Figs. I and VI), the ball simulating member 16 is supported at a slight elevation above the floor; -whereas in the second set-up, the ball simulating member is sustained with its edge in-tangential contact with the floor. With the device arranged in any of the above ways, the ball simulating member 16 is intended to be struck on edge by the head of the club which is swung exactly as in actual shots outdoors as indicated by the arrow in Fig". I. Since the ball simulatingmember 16is lightly engaged with the tongue 24 of the base member 15, it is free for instant release under impact of the club, and, in being projected, it leaves said base member behind without injury thereto, so that the base can be used over and over again. I

In a perfect shot with the head of the club positioned as in Fig.1, the edge of 'the ball simulating member 16 is crushed as shown at 31' in Fig. VIII without cutting of its edge. In an: imperfect ortopping shot, on the other hand, as when the point of striking is too high, the mutilation of the ball simulating member 16 takes the form of a clean edge out as indicated at 32 in Fig. IX. Thus from the character of the mutilation of the ball simulating member 16, it is not only possible to determine, with reasonable exactness, the degree of correctness of a shot, but the probable distance of projection of an actual-golf ball under similar circumstances. 1

As a further aid in determining the accuracy of a shot, a small daub 33 of a suitable paste may be applied to the edge of the ball simulating member 16 as shown in Fig. XII, so that a mark 34 (Fig. XIII) is made on the'striking face of the head of the club by thepaste when said ball's'imulating member is struck.

By virtue of being made of paper, neither the base member 15 or the ball simulating member 16 can possibly injure either furniture or the walls of the room when the device is used for golf practice indoors.

In enable golf practice with the device outdoors on lawns, I provide an alternative base member or support in the form of a flat pin 35 (Fig. X) made from wood or the like with a pointed bottom end 36 for penetrating the ground, and a transversely straight topend 37 0f sufllcient width for. engagement by the notch 30 of the ball simulating member 16 as shown in Fig. XI.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a golf practice device with parts which can be manufactured in quantity at small expenseand which-in. use will favor the attainment of skill in making shots with either wooden or iron golf clubs.

For merchandising, a hundred each of the base member components 15 and the ball simulating components 16 maybe superposed one upon another and incorporated into a package which can be carried in the pocket without .incon-r venience, and which can be marketed-ata-very reasonable figure. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

' 1. A golf practice device comprising-a disc of sheet material, for representing a golf ball, per

manently deformable locally-by the stroke of a golf club against its edge, soas to-thereby regis-- ter the incidence of theclub and the force of the stroke, and completely circular in outline, substantially, so as to correspond to a ball in bal ance and flight.

2. A golf practice device comprising a discof sheet material, for representing a golfball, provided with tee-seating indicating means and permanently deformable locallyby the stroke of a golf club against its edge, so as to thereby register the relation of a stroke to the teecas well as'its force and manner of incidence, and completely circular in outline, substantially, so as-ztocorrespond to aball in balance and flight.

3;.A golf practice device comprising. adisc of sheet material, for representing a golf ball, permanently. deformable'locally by the stroke of a golf club against its edge, so asto thereby register the force and manner of incidence-and hav ing an edge notch for engaging and mounting the disc on an edge of a tee support, and also indicating where the discis struck relative to the tee.

' 4. A golf practice device comprising a base provided with a tee-tongue that is flexible relative thereto in thedirection of driving and is slit,

substantially in the driving plane, with a substantially uniform narrow slit for receiving and releasably holding therein a disc of sheet material for representing a golf ball; so that when the disc edge is struck with a club, the tee-tongue may yield and thereby facilitate disengagement-of the disc from the tee-tongue. I

5. A golf practice device comprising an upstanding tee-tongue lying in a plane at. right angles to the direction of driving; and a golfe ball-disc having an edge notch releasably engagee able on the end of said tongue with the disccin the driving plane. V

6'. A golf practice device comprising an upstanding tee-tongue lying in a plane at right angles to the direction of driving and adapted'to support a golf-ball-disc of sheet material substantially in the driving plane; and a cooperating separate golf-ball-disc of sheet materialhaving an index mark of reference and permanently angles to the driving plane, with a notch in its top; and. a golf-ball-disc with an edge notch releasably mountable on said tongue substantially in the driving plane, by reciprocal interengagement of the parts in one anothers notches.

MITCHELL G. ROSENGARTEN. 

